Urban Comfort

Special Delivery Christmas Tag

Remember when you were a kid and Christmas seemed to take forever to arrive? Sometimes I long for a return to that slow burn of anticipation. But here we are, with Christmas a little more than a week away! That means lots of gift wrapping this week.

I thought I'd share this simple gift tag with you to download. I printed mine on a shimmery cardstock (Stardream Quartz, available at Paper Source) and turned it into a hang tag, but you can print it on sticker paper and use it as a label on your mailed packages as well. 

(Download by clicking on the link below the image.)

Download Holiday Tag Printables

 

P.S.  The winner of the Smile Brilliant giveaway is Nikki N.  Congratulations!

 

 

 

Christmas Baking

I've been hard at work finishing assignments for next Christmas, dreaming of all the fun things I want to make and do for this Christmas. It feels like a late start this year, so I'm skipping most of the holiday crafting and overly ambitious decor in favor of the gift giving - the baking, the wrapping, the spreading of joy and cheer.  

First up, the baking. I've never been one of those people who bake a gazillion cookies every year, but I suddenly can't wait to get into the kitchen.  There will be booze, too.  Friends bring fruit from their trees, I make liqueurs. This year, there's been a steady stream of fruit, which means my kitchen is populated with bottles and bottles of satsuma, calamondin, and kumquat liqueurs along with the blackberry whiskey and almond liqueur I've been aging since last year.  Lots of holiday cheer. But I digress. Back to that holiday baking.

I'm gathering up all the recipes I plan to make for friends and family and it seemed selfish not to share them.  I really want to stretch a bit, try something new.  Of course there will be some favorites that I'll revisit, such as the Scandinavian Almond Cake and Rosemary Butter Cookies from this post.  They'll be part of my holiday repertoire forever and ever! Amen. 

Here's what else I'm eyeing this year - 

 

Coconut Pecan Pralines from Confession of a Cookbook Queen.  Over the summer, a friend mentioned his mother's coconut pralines, which was an entirely new concept to me, and one I've been eager to try. The addition of pecans is a bonus.

 

Because there can never be too many pecans,  I'll be making this Pecan Fig Nougat from For the Love of the South as well.

 

I spend most of my year waiting for blackberry season to roll around again. It's all too short of a season, so blackberry jam keeps me happy during the waiting. Blackberry Jam Shortbread Bars from Recipe Girl.

As a Southerner, red velvet is simply part of my cultural heritage. Besides, these Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies from Cooking Classy are too pretty to pass up.

Lemon Almond Cookie Wreaths from Cook Republic.   Because sometimes you just need a simple cookie to eat by the fistful.

I made these Calissons once (from this recipe by Foodbeam) and they were lovely. Except it was summer and I thought they'd be nice for the winter months instead. I use my absolute favorite orange blossom water from Mymoune, which there seems to be a current shortage of.  However, I was able to locate it through The Meadow (available for pick-up or mail order).

 

 
Let's face it, the holidays require copious amounts of coffee. What better accompaniment than Eggnog Biscotti from Home Cooking Memories?  

 

Admittedly, I find these Mushroom Shaped Lebkuchen from Twigg Studios completely adorable, but we all need a little gingerbread during the holidays. 

 

That's where I'm at so far. When all is said and done, I think I'll need some type of chocolate concoction beyond the red velvet. I could always make fudge, but that's hardly stretching myself. Or I could try the Brutti Ma Buoni from my friend, Chef Lisa White.  They're my son's absolute favorite cookie in the entire world and she brings him full boxes which he always manages to eat singlehandedly.  Perhaps it's time to give them a whirl at home. 

Does anyone else have any favorites I should try?  Post a link in the comments (or include the recipe) or email me. 

Happy Monday!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Satsuma Meyer Lemon Icebox Pie

Most Thanksgivings you'll find me in the kitchen making the traditional array of pies. But on Wednesday, when my cousin left a bag of beautiful satsumas and Meyer Lemons on my porch, I did a spontaneous turnabout and concocted a creamy icebox pie. Sweet with just enough acid to cut through the heaviness of endless Thanksgiving sides. 

Satsumas are plentiful in Louisiana at this time of year, but you can substitute tangerines or clementines if they're not readily available to you. Just be sure to make this pie the day before you need it, as it requires chilling time before serving. 

And now, let the Christmas festivities begin!

SATSUMA & MEYER LEMON ICEBOX PIE

2 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 + 1/8 cup sugar
10 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

1 1/2 cups freshly squeezed satsuma juice (tangerine, clementine or mandarin orange juice may be substituted)
1/2 cup freshly squeezed Meyer lemon juice
Zest of 1 orange
Zest of 1/2 lemon
Two 14-oz. cans sweetened condensed milk
2 large egg yolks

Heat oven to 400 degrees F.  Combine graham cracker crumbs and sugar in a bowl and stir in melted butter with a fork until evenly combined. Transfer to a 9-inch Springform pan and press into the bottom and halfway up the sides; set aside. 

Combine juice, orange and lemon zest, condensed milk, and yolks in a bowl; beat on medium-high speed of a hand mixer for 5 minutes. 

Pour into prepared crust and place Springform pan on a baking sheet.  Bake until crust is browned and filling is only slightly set, about 20-25 minutes. 

Let pie cool, then freeze until set, at least 2 hours or overnight.  Transfer to the refrigerator - remove 15 minutes before serving.  Serve with whipped cream on the side. 

 

Spiderweb Lace Printing

How is it possible that it's Thursday already?! It's been a sprint this week, juggling multiple editors, magazines, and holidays. But it's been one of those awesome weeks, with all synapses firing and feeling like I'm in the zone. Getting in the zone, sometimes that's more than half the battle. 

But I thought I'd drop in here and share a quick tutorial from one of the features I mentioned in my last post. This is such a simple craft and it's no different than spray painting through regular lace. But rather than a tidy, ladylike effect, I went for a more organic, spooky feel that's better suited to Halloween.

Although I'm showing this on dinnerware (not food safe!), you can use this process for just about anything you can spray paint.  Try it on paper, bags, boxes, fabric or canvas, bottoms of serving trays (think cocktails), mirrors, even your pumpkin. No special skills required!

Materials:

Novelty spiderweb lace (See Resources below)
Fabric scissors
Repositionable adhesive
Flat, black spray paint or black spray primer
Scrap paper 

My lace looked like the lace at the top left of the photo. I liked the web design, but I wasn't so fond of the spiders. So the first thing I did was cut out all of the spiders, leaving me with the bits of cobweb lace shown at the top right.

Once I had a pile of lace pieces, I sprayed them all with repositionable adhesive (I prefer Elmer's brand) and let them dry for a few minutes. After that, I arranged them on my surface, pressing them into place.  In my design, I left some spaces open, overlapped other pieces elsewhere.  The point here is to get an organic arrangement, so don't overthink it.

After the arrangement is in place, it's time to spray paint. I actually don't use spray paint at all for this - I prefer to use black spray primer.  It's very flat, dries super fast, and since it's a primer, I know it's meant to stick. But if you can't find black primer, use a regular matte finish paint or black floral spray. 

I like to hold my paint can a couple of feet above my design and spray in short bursts, so I get more of a misting effect.  That way, I can add more paint if needed.  I also keep my arm fairly stationary, instead of spraying back and forth. What I'm looking for are some concentrated areas of color and some that fade off a bit. 

Once I'm finished painting, I let it dry for about 5 minutes, then remove the lace.  (I can usually reuse the lace 2-3 more times, depending on how heavy the paint buildup is.)  And that's it. I haven't sealed mine or taken any extra measures and none of the primer has flaked off, even after being stacked.

 

Resources:

Novelty Spiderweb Lace - I usually find this by yard at Jo-Ann, but you can find other lace versions at places like Party City, usually sold as tablecloths or runners

Repositionable Adhesive - I find Elmer's brand to be the easiest and most reliable to work with. It's often a little less expensive as well. It can be found at most craft stores.

Title image by Brie Williams

 

 

 

 

Doom & Gloom for Halloween

I know, it seems a little early to be posting Halloween stuff. (But honestly, who can tell anymore? If you go to craft stores, the Christmas merchandise is already out.) So we'll ease into it. I thought I'd start with Halloween lite, projects that aren't blatantly Halloween in feel - though guests may ask if you're struggling with depression if you display them at other times of the year.

These are a few of the projects in this year's edition of Halloween Tricks & Treats by Better Homes and Gardens. It's on newsstands now, of course, and also available online at Zinio.  

 

 

 

 

All photos by Brie Williams | Graphics available at BHG

Tim's Real Easter Basket Grass

Aesthetically, I've never been a big fan of colored plastic Easter grass. Even as a child it was simply at odds with my personality (and I may have wondered why the Easter bunny couldn't just tone it down a bit). As I've gotten older and more interested in eco-friendly solutions, I've turned to natural shredded wood as filler.  But this year I have a new option, one that feels more organic to the Easter season and works both environmentally and aesthetically.

Consisting of organic, field grown Timothy grass, Tim's Real Easter Basket Grass is grown and harvested on 124 acres of hay fields along the Connecticut River in Canaan, Vermont. Naturally fragrant, this is a filler that will remind you of being on a farm, not inside a chemical plant. (I suspect the Easter bunny will like it a lot better, too.)

There's a generous amount in every box, enough to fill several baskets. What you don't use can be added to your compost or used to line animal cages. It's not necessarily meant to be kept - it's generally harvested and boxed just before shipping out to customers - but if you're feeling thrifty, you can save leftovers until next year. Just make sure you store it in a cool, dry place. 

Have a very happy Easter!  (And don't forget, the giveaway for Livia Cetti's The Exquisite Book of Paper Flowers ends at midnight tonight.)

**Tim's Real Easter Basket Grass is sold at Whole Foods in 31 states. For other vendors, check here.

 

 

Striped Eggs

 

I've done exactly nothing for Easter so far, but first up on my agenda this weekend are these striped eggs from the April issue of Martha Stewart Living. The technique is so simple I can't believe I never thought of it before! If you're less of the organic type and want a clean stripe, this is the technique for you. I think the pearl finish paint is a nice touch, too. 

You make these eggs with blown-out eggshells, which means you can keep them for next year. To make egg blowing easier, I like to use this nifty tool, but you can watch the video on Martha Stewart.com for pointers on using household objects to do it as well. 

Here's how you make the stripes:

Supplies:

Small square cardboard box
Awl or corkscrew tip
Wooden skewer
Blown-out egg with holes centered at top and bottom
Adhesive putty
Paintbrush 
Craft paint

Directions:

1. Cut three pointed notches in one side of the box, as shown below.

2. With awl, punch holes on opposite sides of the box, 1 inch below top edge, as shown.

3. Push skewer in one side of box, then through holes in egg (enlarge as needed), then through other side of box.

4. Knead 2 chucks of putty until soft. Pinch onto skewer and each end of egg to hold in place.

5. Dip brush in water, then in paint. (The larger the brush, the wider the stripe will be.) Hold brush handle in a notch, with bristles resting on egg. Use other hand to turn skewer to make a stripe. Repeat in other notches for more stripes. Let dry.

Resources:  Multi-surface craft paint by Martha Stewart Crafts, available at Michaels

All photos by Burcu Avsar

 

For more Easter ideas, pick up a copy of the April issue on your local newsstand.

 

 

King Cake

It's all about Mardi Gras now. My dining room table is littered with masks in process, the marching bands pass in front of my house for daily practice, filling the air with a palpable electricity. The bleachers have cropped up downtown along St. Charles Avenue, the houses are decorated with all sorts of banners and flags and Mardi Gras lights, and of course there are king cakes piled to the sky in every market and bakery across town.  Mardi Gras is impossible to ignore here, and I dare even the most jaded not to succumb to the excitement. 

But the one tradition that I've always half-heartedly embraced is the king cake. I partake in one or two of them during the season, simply as a nod to tradition, but I'm definitely not passionate about them. There are the cakes that are too dry, overstuffed with creams and fillings to salvage the dry dough. There are the ones that are more sugar and icing than cake, giving me a quick headache. Some are too dense and doughy, better than dry, but simply too much. 

There's a change in the air, though. Over the last couple of years, new king cakes are emerging, with only a nod to tradition and a focus on quality. There's the king cake from Domenica, created by Chef Lisa White, a decadent concoction filled with bananas, mascarpone cheese and pecans, then gilded with salted caramel and edible gold flakes. It's over-the-top, insanely delicious. We had two of them last year and they were demolished within minutes. I was lucky to get a forkful. Alas, the king cake from Domenica is only available to locals.

My other favorite hews closer to the traditional king cake, but less toothachingly sweet, moist, light and wonderful. It's the kind of king cake you can eat for breakfast and not feel guilty (or sick) over. This king cake, created by Sucre, is really the only king cake I want to eat (when I'm not in the mood for absolute decadence). The good news - they ship around the country. Which means, in the words of Dirty Coast, my favorite local T-shirt retailer, you can "be a New Orleanian. Wherever you are."

Order your king cake through the end of the month, right here.

A Season of Women

I've never been one to hang out with the girls, instinctively preferring the company of boys. The boys, they liked me, I liked them, and it was pretty easy to crack their code. Girls on the other hand, they were nuanced and mercurial; they felt like trouble, high seas at high tide. 

As I get older though, it's my relationships with women that see me through the days and months and years. These relationships come in all shapes and sizes, the women in all ages, personalities, and locales. They take up huge chunks of real estate in my heart, gracing and inspiring me, rounding out my sharper edges, bringing the details into focus. It is different than what I share with my husband, but finally, just as necessary.

The pettiness of youth falls away under the weight of a life fully lived. All of us are both less and more than what we were. Sorrows have been endured, disappointments shouldered. There is a certain heaviness that bestows a lightness of being.  My generation of women, we are older now.

There is less competition for the joy in life, an understanding that there's enough to go around, indeed that it's better when shared. We support and hold each other aloft, finally having learned that jealousy eats holes into the very fabric of our being, leaving us less than whole. 

There is more laughter now, more weariness, too. We speak in truth not code, our time too precious for anything less. The fears and weaknesses so carefully shrouded in our youth have become more exposed. There is less judgment now, more compassion for ourselves, leading to more for others. It is often those very flaws that expose the beauty. 

It is a new season for me, this season of women. The timing is right now. So to all of the women who grace my life with their friendship, whether peripherally or in the trenches, I give you my whole heart in this season of love.

Happy Valentine's Day!

 

DIY Clay Tree Trunk Pencil Holder

If I were brainstorming gifts for my son it's unlikely that a pencil holder would come to mind, but that's exactly what he's getting from me this Valentine's Day and I think he's going to love it. It all started with pottery classes, which I've been taking since September. My son has enjoyed watching my progress, taking particular delight in my mishaps since I am always reminding him that we get better at just about everything through practice. He mentioned recently that if I ever got past being able to make something other than bowls, I should make something for him. I think he suggested something totally ridiculous that I could never make in a million years, but I appreciate his confidence.

At any rate, I had purchased a wood grain texture mat and made a vase to use for the holidays, which I liked a lot and was continuing to experiment with, working to create a more organic, slumping profile that felt treelike. While making a slender vase and working with an unfamiliar clay, it stuck to my work surface, which tore jagged edges along the top. It reminded me of the hollow, jagged cypress tree trunks rising out of the swamps here and so I left the clay exactly as it was. And as I looked at that petite little vase, I thought it would make a cute pencil holder, which made me think of my son who's always looking for a pencil, and then I thought of the book The Giving Tree, which my son still enjoys even though he's moved on to chapter books, and then the fleeting memory of his little finger always tracing the heart outline on the tree in the book...and Voila! It was suddenly the perfect Valentine's gift. The red, personalized pencils I found on the Oriental Trading site sealed the deal. Red is his favorite color and I suspect he'll be very fond of seeing his name in print.

To continue this very long story, the pencil holder pictured here is not the one I'm giving him. His is made out of fired clay. But I thought I'd experiment and see if the technique for making the pencil holder out of pottery clay would work with air dry clay. Turns out, other than the glazing and firing, the process is exactly the same. Which means you can make a pencil holder or a vase or whatever vessel you might like. Just keep in mind that it won't be waterproof. If you want to use it as a vase, you'll need to line it with a glass or plastic container. 

It's also a little more difficult to carve the heart into the air dry clay, but I made my initial carving when the clay was fresh and then went back after it had dried for a few hours and used a wooden skewer to make the carving more pronounced and clean up the raggedy edges. Overall, I think it worked almost as well as the fired version.  Of course, if you have access to a kiln (some studios will allow you to pay just for firing) and some pottery clay you can make a more durable, waterproof version by following the same steps.

Here's how:

 

Step 1: Create a base. Roll out your clay (I used a wooden rolling pin) and use a round cookie or clay cutter to cut out a circle. I often cut it freehand, too, which can give you a more organic shape. Also, I made my base a good 1/4-inch thick since I wasn't sure how sturdy the air dry clay would be.

 

Step 2:  Make slip. What I didn't know before I started taking pottery lessons was that "slip" is the glue that holds clay together. Otherwise, the clay simply won't adhere to itself and your piece will break apart. All slip is, is a mixture of the clay and some water. I found it a little harder to make slip with the air dry clay, but just keep working the water into the clay until it starts to feel sludgy. 

Step 3:  Roll out the clay to form the body of the tree trunk and press the wood grain texture mat into the clay, using your fingers or the rolling pin.  Tip:  You control how much texture the mat leaves by how firmly you press it into the clay. For this project, I made a very strong impression. For the holiday vase I made, I used a much lighter hand so that the wood grain was just barely visible. It's all up to you.

Step 4:  If you wish to carve into the wood grain, this is the point at which I'd suggest doing so (I found it easier to do when the clay was flat). Use what you can find to work with - a toothpick, wooden skewer, etc. Just be gentle at first so you don't push right through your clay. Don't worry if the design looks a little messy, you can clean it up after the clay has firmed up a bit. Also, if you carve your heart in the middle of the clay, you can control the placement of it when you're shaping the clay into a cylinder.

 Step 5:  Trim any excess clay from the bottom edge so it's mostly even.  You can use a clay knife, though the needle tool worked just fine.

 

Step 6:  Scoring.  I use a needle tool (found in craft stores), but you can use a toothpick or something with a sharp tip. Score around the base. This roughs up the clay so that the slip will cling to it, joining your pieces.

Turn your wood grained piece of clay over and score along the bottom edge as well.

Step 7:  Apply slip along the bottom edge of the wood grained piece. (You can use your fingers to smear it on.)  You can see that my slip from the air dry clay is still a bit lumpy, but it didn't seem to matter. 

 

 Step 8:  With the scored base in hand, begin rolling the wood grained piece of clay around the base to form a cylinder.

 Step 9:  When you've finished rolling your clay into a cylinder, trim the excess clay, leaving enough to overlap and form a seam.

 

Step 10:  Score along the edge of the seam, as well as the area on the trunk where the seam will meet. (You can be a little neater than I was here. I had a camera in my hand at the same time.)

 Stand the cylinder up and begin smoothing out the seam with your fingers so it's less linear and chunky.

 

Holding the cylinder gently in your hand, begin to smooth out the bottom as well so that you don't have a seam in the bottom.

This is what the cylinder looks like without further manipulation. It's too top heavy for me, so I'm going to go back and pinch clay from the top to create a rougher edge. I can also manipulate the shape of the opening if I want, just gentle pulling and pushing with my fingers.

This is my cylinder after I've manipulated the clay.  You can see that the heart carving is still very rough looking.

Drying:  I set my clay on a baking rack to dry, so that air can get under the piece at the same time. You can see after a few hours that the shape has started to set and that I've been able to clean up the heart carving a little more (You can also gently sand round edges after the clay is fully dry, using a fine grade sanding sponge.)

Here's the air dry version next to the fired version.  The fired is a little whiter and brighter (I glazed with a Matte Opaque White), but the biggest difference lies in the carving. I suspect with a little practice that could get easier, too.

Finishing: (not shown)  I used a liner paintbrush and some acrylic craft paint to fill in my carving after the clay was completely dry. Once the paint is dry, you can spray it with a clear acrylic spray (a fixative) to seal and protect it. You can find these supplies at most craft and art supply stores.

Resources  

Clay:  I use DAS brand air dry clay.  It's my favorite of all the brands I've worked with. I buy mine at Michaels, but you can find it at multiple online sources, including Dick Blick.

Mat: If you like to work with clay and want to do handbuilding, I highly recommend the SlabMat. The larger size will run you $10 and the clay won't stick. Available from The Ceramic Shop.

Woodgrain Mat:  The Ceramic Shop carries various wood grain texture mats in different sizes. The one I used was purchased from The Big Ceramic Store.

 

Quick & Easy Tissue Dyed Silk Scarf

I didn't mean to disappear for a month. It was an avalanche. Easter eggs, a spring party, and finally, a Halloween photo shoot. There was so much crafting, the more leisurely pace of February is a welcome relief.  A relief I celebrate...by making more things. This time it's Valentine's Day, one of my favorite holidays to craft for. All the red and hearts and sparkle...I can never resist. 

I learned how to dye silk scarves with color bleed tissue at an Anthropologie workshop I went to at the end of last summer. It felt like grade school (in a good way) and our masterpieces were completed in under an hour. One of my favorite parts of crafting in groups is seeing individual interpretations of the same materials. It always feels like magic. 

I was pretty happy with my original scarf that felt like a mix of tie dye and watercolor, but I knew there would be further experimentations, so this time I worked with a more controlled application to see what I would get. The end result is the most beautiful coral pink, with subtle variations throughout, a shade I could never have produced with just one color of tissue. It's perfect for Valentine's Day (or an antidote to winter, the welcoming of spring, Mother's Day, or just because).

The directions below are tailored to this specific design. But once you know the basic technique of layering tissue and silk (which is nothing, really), you can experiment with all kinds of designs. A single pack of multi-color tissue goes a very long way and the scarves themselves are inexpensive. If you're feeling indecisive before you begin, buy an extra scarf and cut it into pieces. That way you can experiment with colors and layouts before you begin. 

 

Choose your colors and tear the tissue into pieces (Think about your pattern to determine how to tear the tissue. Because I was covering the entire scarf and working in a striped pattern, I mostly tore my paper into strips.)

 

Starting at one end of the scarf, begin covering the fabric with pieces of tissue (a single layer of tissue is sufficient unless it's a very pale color, in which case I double up).

 

 Continue adding tissue to the scarf in vertical rows.

 

After a portion of the scarf has been covered, you will fold the scarf so that it covers the tissue layer, as shown below.

 

 

 

Continue covering the scarf with tissue, matching the pattern of the colors to the layer below. Fold the scarf over the second layer of tissue and add the last layer of tissue until the entire scarf has been covered.

 

Once the scarf has been covered with tissue, use a spray bottle and liberally spray the entire area with water. Use your fingers (if you don't wear gloves your hands will get dyed, but can be washed off fairly easily) and work the tissue into the cloth. Gently turn the scarf over and make sure the water and tissue are worked in there as well.

Let the scarf sit for about 5 minutes (or until most of the color has been transferred off the tissue, then begin to remove all the tissue paper (not shown).

 

Once the tissue has been removed, hang the scarf to dry (do not rinse), placing a few paper towels underneath the scarf if it's particularly wet).  You can air dry or use a hair dryer to speed up the process.

 

As the scarf dries you can begin to see the subtle color variations. When the scarf is fully dry, heat set the dye by ironing your scarf.

 

That's it.  So easy, you'll want to make more!  (See this post for a multi-colored approach.)

Resources:  Spectra Bleeding Art Tissue Paper (colorfast tissue will not work); I used this 15x72-inch silk scarf from Thai Silks (other sizes available), but you may find even better deals at Dharma Trading. (Dharma also carries the same bleeding art tissue, which may be a more economical choice if you're ordering the scarves from them.)

Merry Christmas

Wishing you the merriest of Christmases! 

Watercolor Holly Gift Topper

I like wrapping Christmas gifts almost as much as I like giving the gifts themselves. It's my time to experiment, to indulge my many different decorating personalities. I can go whimsical, masculine, feminine, elegant, modern...for that moment I get to try on a different hat. It's fun, and I like to think that it adds a little something extra to the gift. 

My Christmas decor was all about neutrals and metallics this year, but I do have a few containers of variegated holly in my kitchen which was the inspiration for this gift topper. I've always thought that the leaves of variegated holly were reminiscent of watercolors, so I set out to create a playful paper and watercolor version, using pressed holly leaves to create the templates.  I'm using the topper to adorn my son's teachers' gifts, though I think someone other than a second grade teacher could certainly appreciate it, like your crafty friends.

The Inspiration:

 

Materials:

• Holly Leaf Templates (see below)
• Textured cream cardstock or watercolor paper
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Watercolor pencils (olive, emerald, dark green)
• Thin paintbrush
• Water
• Baby Q-tips
• Red crepe paper (streamers work) or tissue paper
• Floral wire
• Self-adhesive floral tape

Directions:

Step 1:  Download the holly template and print out onto cardstock (you can either use the painted holly leaves as is or cut them out to use as a template). Trace around the leaves onto textured ivory cardstock or watercolor paper and cut out. (I used the top row of leaves on the template for this topper.)

Step 2:  Using an olive colored watercolor pencil, make a border around the inside of the leaf using short strokes.

Step 3:  Fill in most of the interior of the leaf with a Dark Green watercolor pencil, going back over the initial layer to make darker strokes that resemble veining.

 
Step 4:  Make a few strokes over the Dark Green with the Emerald watercolor pencil. You won't really see the effect of this when you're making the strokes, but it will lend some variation once activated by water.

 

Step 5:  Dip your brush in water and go over the penciled area with short, quick strokes, working toward the interior of the leaf and blurring the outer border of the watercolor inside the leaf. 

 

 

Step 6:  Fold the holly leaves in half and set aside. Cut a square of red crepe or tissue paper and set aside. Cut off one end of a baby Q-tip, then cut off the narrow tip on the cotton swab to form a ball shape. 

Step 7:  Stick a piece of floral wire inside the Q-tip, then fold the square of crepe or tissue paper over the cotton swab and twist the ends.

Step 8:  Using floral tape, tape the crepe or tissue papered ball to the floral wire.  Repeat for the number of berries desired.

 

Step 9:  Place a berry stem on top of the largest holly leaf and secure them together with floral tape, but not extending the tape all the way down.

Step 10:  Just below the first berry, insert the second berry stem and keep wrapping the floral tape around it, but again, not wrapping to the bottom.

Step 11:  Place the third berry stem over a second holly leaf and adhere it to the holly stem below the second berry stem.  You can stop here if you'd only like two leaves.

Back View

 

If you'd like a third leaf, adhere it below the second leaf. Here I've placed the leaf on top of the stem (rather than behind it) before securing it with the floral tape. This gave it a more dimensional feel. 





Download Watercolor Holly Leaves Template

 

 

 

Trimming the Tree Part II - Handmade Ornaments

It feels good to finally have the tree decorated. I went all white, with touches of silver, which just works in my living room with the wall color and the quality of light.  Admittedly, I was having a moment with gold, but I decided I could get my fill of it when wrapping gifts for other people. Sometimes you just have to go with what works in your home instead of what's trendy. 

I made almost every single ornament on my tree, which feels like an accomplishment. Not that I have anything against store bought, but I feel like I've made tons of ornaments for clients over the years and then all I have to show on my tree are dozens of ornaments I've purchased. It was time to remedy that. And in fact, it was so much fun that I'll have to make it a holiday tradition. Maybe not dozens, but a few to add to my collection each year. 

Here are some of the ornaments I used, all of them inexpensive and easy to make.

 

1) The tutorial for the glittered paper stars can be found here.  2) I had lots of clear glass ornaments sitting around from last year, so I filled them with fake snow and and tiny Alder cones from Earth Beauties on Etsy (they look good with sprigs of greenery as well, though you'll want to remove it at the end of the season).  3) I reinterpreted the mistletoe sprigs from my wreath design in white velvet with beads from a necklace I found in my local thrift store. To make an ornament, follow the directions to make individual sprigs and fasten two of them together with white floral tape instead of the green I used for the wreath. Fold the taped wire to the back of the sprigs to form a loop, then trim excess wire and glue it in place with Fabri-Tac. When it's dry, thread a piece of silver string through the loop and knot the ends. 4.) The small star and reindeer silhouette were made from DAS air-dry clay, rolled to about 1/4-inch thickness and cut out with cookie cutters. 5.)  I was asked to rework my felt pinecone designs for Mollie Makes 34. While I was at it, I finally made a few wintry versions for myself. 6.) The antler ornament started off as an inexpensive ornament from Walmart. I gave it my own twist. See below for easy instructions.  7) Pom-poms couldn't be easier to make and they remind me of snowballs. I chose a white iridescent yarn which is subtle but picks up the light nicely. 8) The glittered acorns came from a winter nature display that I did a couple of years ago. I painted the acorn bodies white, coated them with a thin coat of Mod Podge, and sprinkled with a fine textured white glitter. When they were dry, I glued them to acorn caps. To turn them into ornaments I simply tied silver string around their stems. 

 

Revamped Antler Ornament:

I love to scout the aisles of discount stores during the holidays. I always pick up all kinds of inexpensive ornaments whose forms I may like, but whose execution doesn't quite fit my taste. That was the case with these antler ornaments from Walmart.  They felt too dark and muddy to me, but I bought a bunch, deconstructed them, and gave them a quick whitewash with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.

1. I cut the twine, which I later replaced with silver string, and used pliers to pull the wired jingle bells from each antler.

2. I dipped a damp paintbrush (1/4-inch flat bristle brush) into white paint and offloaded the excess onto a folded paper towel.  With the paint that remained on my brush, I quickly applied a light coat to the entire ornament, leaving some of the underlying color exposed.

3. When they were dry, I strung them individually with silver thread instead of hanging them as a pair.   

 

 

Trimming the Tree Part I - Why I Went Artificial

I'm finally getting around to trimming the tree, two weeks before Christmas. After last year's performance, things are looking up! But this year has been a first. It's the first time in my entire life that I haven't even stopped at a tree lot. This year, I went artificial (and pre-lit to preserve my husband's sanity). It wasn't planned, but I'm so happy with my experience that I thought I'd share.

A couple of years ago my son picked out a kitten to join our family. We love Miss Lucy, but she's an absolute nightmare around the Christmas tree. She shares the same level of persistence that my son has and after endless weeks of her trying to climb the trunk of the tree, I'm usually at my wit's end. I try locking her out of the living room, but since that's her domain, she's not at all happy about that solution. Then of course there's trying to eat the pine needles, also a big problem. I hadn't quite figured out what to do this year, but I admit that the thought of her was dampening my enthusiasm. 

At any rate, I had the good fortune to try out a tree from Tree Classics. In my head, I sort of thought it would be a second tree, to dress up my dining room, not to replace the primary tree. I was also a little nervous about whether it would look fake, but hey, I had nothing to lose. 

I was pleasantly surprised to find out how much artificial trees have changed, the better ones anyway. Specially molded branch tips look just like the real thing (and the branches that don't look real, but add fullness, are concentrated in the interior where they aren't obvious). My tree came in three parts, the branches released from hinges, and I was able to put the entire thing together without one bit of help from my husband. After the basic construction, I spent about an hour fluffing and shaping the wired branches to get the form and spacing I wanted (a perfectionist's dream!). 

Miss Lucy immediately set out to investigate and spent a couple of days thinking about whether she could climb it, but she quickly became bored and has stayed safely below the branches in the weeks since. Yes, I notice there are a few loose pieces of yarn on pom-pom ornaments she's clearly been playing with, but that I can live with. Anyway, my husband and I agreed that it was perfect for our living room (I chose a narrow style so that I wouldn't have to move furniture around, which is also problematic for us each year) and we opted to forego the real tree. 

So what about the smell of fresh pine that you inevitably miss with an articifial tree? I invested in fresh greenery for other parts of my house, along mantels, in vases, hanging on walls, and in bowls. I also purchased some essential oils in fir and holiday blends to put in my diffuser. 

One other thing to mention, whether you go artificial or not, is a nifty little tool called the Light Keeper Pro. lt fixes most broken light sets, finding the damaged bulb for you and repairing it. I tried it on a string of broken lights I had from last year and it worked like a charm. It's the perfect tool to have around for a pre-lit tree that would be difficult to replace the light strands on. 

Next up - handmade ornaments to make for any tree.

 

The slim silhouette of this tree is perfect for city apartments and smaller rooms, like I have. I wish I'd had this for my New York apartment!

 

See how realistic the branches look up close? I also decided to give my tree a dusting of snow. I love this artificial snow.  You mist the tree with water, sprinkle on a little bit, and then it dries. What does eventually fall off is natural and non-toxic.

Around the Web

This week has just flown by.  Seriously, where are the elves when you need them?!  

I spent most of my week prepping for the holiday workshop at Anthropologie last night, which was a lot of fun. I had all kinds of wonderful greenery flown in from the Pacific Northwest, decidedly better than what I can get here in New Orleans, and everyone made a wreath to take home.  

It's a simple idea, but I think one of my favorite parts about doing these workshops, aside from meeting new people, is seeing what creative interpretations emerge from the same basic supplies. I always end up learning something or walking away with a fresh perspective, or just feeling creatively recharged. Holiday spirit + creative energy = 4 cups of coffee.

But today, it's back to the real world where dozens of eggs await transformation for Easter, it being spring in the magazine world. I need to finish decorating my Christmas tree and utilize the bounty of greenery I have left over, start working out my Christmas baking, make liqueurs...hey, none of that sounds bad! It's going to be a good weekend after all. Who needs elves anyway?

But before I get started, here are a few things from around the web that have inspired me this week.

---------------------------

I think we can all agree that Nelson Mandela's passing leaves a hole in this world, but his words and deeds stay with us. 

It's been a blue Christmas so far with 100 Christmas Blues.

Why didn't I think of this?! A DIY for an etched snow globe.

More antlers!

Bacon jam. This just needs to be made, right?

I love the presentation on these little orange cakes.

I really need to make some of these origami stars that look like this.

 

Have a wonderful weekend. I'll see you here next week.

 

 

 

Reindeer & Their Antlers

As a kid I was never much for Rudolph, enchanted more by snowmen and snowflakes, a complete fantasy in New Orleans. But as an adult, I can't seem to get enough of Rudolph's less colorful companions, especially during the holiday season. And while I thought I'd be sick of antlers by now, I can't get enough of those either.  It's just enough rustic to warm my city heart. 

 

I ordered this antler print from Natural Curiosity on Society 6 and decided to forego the traditional framing (for now). I trimmed it, mounted it on pearl cardstock, then again on a textured paper. I hung it from a vintage hanger that I found on Etsy, wired some evergreen sprigs to the hanger, then hung an air-dry clay star ornament from the branches and added a short (5-foot) batttery operated string of starry lights (you can hide the battery compartment by taping it to your wall with painters tape behind the photo or use the 3M Command Picture Hanging Strips, which I use all the time and never damage my walls). 

 

A simple, seasonal vignette from Paige Knudsen Photography

I couldn't be happier with my papier-mache stag's head from West Elm, but it's possible he could use a companion, like this lovely little doe from White Faux Taxidermy.

 

I'm not always given to whimsy, but I love this clever interpretation of taxidermy from Jennifer Rizzo.

 

Washi tape taxidermy from First Sense

Antler cookies three ways, from Dietland Wolf.  Cookie cutters available at Fancy Flours.

 

I just ordered this beautiful little antler stamp from Besotted Brand on Etsy, perfect for holiday tags and bags. I also have this deer silhouette stamp which is equally as beautiful. 

 

Free Rustic holiday tags (along with a nice woodgrain printable) from Volume Twenty Five

 

Turkey Bone Gumbo

In my world, the turkeys are handled by the men. When I was young, my grandfather would spend several days smoking and tending the birds, the delicious smokiness following him indoors. It was the only Thanksiving turkey I can remember, year after year, and it still pains me that no one ever learned his techniques before he died. My father and my brother are all about deep frying the turkey, usually a gathering of men, the women left to tend the sides and desserts. It's delicious, too, and I don't mind not being a part of it. It feels like tradition.

But I still order a turkey every year to have in my home, regardless of where I spend the day. It's always smoked because I equate certain foods with the people I've lost. When I partake of those dishes, it is a more powerful remembrance, a more secure connection, than any trip to any cemetery could ever offer me. 

The day after Thanksgiving, my husband takes up the mantle and uses the leftover turkey to make a turkey and sausage gumbo, a labor of love that signifies his own progression from New Yorker to Southerner. As it so happens, Friday is the anniversary of my grandfather's death fourteen years ago. We'll make and serve this gumbo, without doubt remembering the things we loved about him, laughing at silly things he did, speaking of him to my son, who would have brought him so much pleasure, and it will all be good.

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Turkey Bone Gumbo - 
You can make this with either a smoked or roasted turkey
Makes 6-8 servings

3/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup flour
2 cups chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped bell peppers
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 pounds smoked sausage, such as andouille or kielbasa, chopped
2 quarts turkey broth (see below)
Reserved turkey meat (we always save 2 or 3 cups of dark meat from the turkey before we even make the stock)
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 tablespoons chopped green onion

1. Combine the oil and flour in a large cast-iron pot or enameled cast-iron Dutch oven, over medium heat. Stirring slowly and constantly, make a dark brown roux, the color of chocolate.

2. Season the onions, bell peppers, and celery with the salt and cayenne. Add this to the roux and stir until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the sausage and cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, for 45 minutes. Add the reserved turkey meat and cook for 15 minutes. Add the parsley and green onions. 

3. Serve in soup bowls with rice. (Can add filé powder to taste, at the table) 

Turkey Broth
makes approximately 2 quarts

1 turkey carcass
3 ribs celery, cut into large pieces
2 medium onions, quartered
4 quarts water (or enough to cover the carcass)
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
4 bay leaves 

1. Put the carcass in a large stockpot and add all of the ingredients.

2. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer, uncovered for 2 hours. Remove from the heat and skim any fat that has risen to the surface.

3. Strain the broth through a large fine-mesh strainer. Reserve any meat that has fallen off of the bones (if it doesn't feel too dry) and any meat that may still remain on the carcass.

Use right away or store the broth in quart containers in the freezer.

*This recipe is a repost from November 2010. There have been no changes made from that original recipe.

Imaginary Thanksgiving Part II: Last Minute Details

We're at the point now where you either have your Thanksgiving decor and menu mapped out in detail or you're running around a little bit stressed (or you haven't thought about it even one bit, in which case you're probably not reading this post). But there's still plenty of time to pull it all together. Just keep it simple.

I'm not one of those people who pull out the very special china for holidays. Once in awhile, but I pull it out once in awhile for a regular dinner party, too. Instead I have lots of mismatched dishes and serving ware that I've picked up at antique stores and thrift stores, mixed with newer pieces. I find that if my color palette is complementary I can get away with it. But all those whites and neutrals also create a sort of blank canvas. From there, how my table looks depends on the details I incorporate to add texture and color. 

This is a short and sweet sampling, materials you can pick up at the grocery store during that inevitable last-minute run -

 

The bittersweet branches are the star here. They add movement and beauty to what's really a simple table design. You can usually find them at better grocery stores during the holiday season, along with flowers, gourds, and fruit. (from Sunday Suppers)

 

A more studied composition, but still simple to achieve.  The fallen branches create a framework of sorts for gourds that are spaced out, but you can pull them together if you don't have branches or vines. (via Swanky Chic Fete)

Tip:  If you don't have a runner, just use a length of fabric folded in half. Burlap works well (and comes in several colors), also quilting fabric. 

 

If you're making any type of cake for Thanksiving, this simple floral treatment makes it an instant showstopper/centerpiece of your dessert table. Again, see what you have at your grocery. (The Sweetest Occasion)

 

This pretty centerpiece revolves around foraged finds. Visit Henry Happened for the how-to.

 

 

Grab a length of cheesecloth (or a flour sack towel) and wrap it around bottles, accenting with twine and natural elements. It's simple and adds an unexpected dash of pretty. (Dreamy Whites)

 

 

 

 

Thanksgiving Imagined Part I: The Place Cards

I've all but given up on Thanksgiving around here. This year my family is scattered here and there, relieving me of any and all formal commitments, pleasurable or otherwise. I'm beginning to relish the spontaneity of this Thanksgiving, it being a rare event, but my one nod to tradition will be a turkey sandwich and pumpkin pie shared with my grandmother sometime in the evening (one of my most cherished childhood traditions). 

But since I'm pretty relaxed this week, it's the perfect time to indulge in some armchair fantasy Thanksgiving over the next few days (while I make things for Christmas).  

Let's start with the place cards. That might sound counterintuitive, but I'm a detail person. I almost always come up with a detail first, then build everything else around it. It gives me a manageable focal point so I don't become overwhelmed with the whole. After that I find the rest of it falls into place. 

Here are some of my favorites:

 
Rustic simplicity via Kara Rosenlund

 

DIY clay conifers from Design Sponge

 

Plastered rosemary sprigs via Fabric Paper Glue

 

I never tire of acorns and oak leaves, like these from EAB Designs.

 

I've always been more of a silver person, but I find myself swept up in the gold craze this fall. Just a touch, like these gilded pears from Freutcake.

 

I love the sense of movement that these clever leaf cards convey, from Martha Stewart.

 

These leaf print tags from Skip To My Lou were created to accompany baked goods, but could just as easily translate to a table setting.

 

One of my favorite ways to decorate a table is to use what's readily available to me, like these acorn and oak sprigs from Delighting in Today. 

 

This appeals to the romantic Southerner in me, completely unable to resist the charms of gardenias. I think the layered, textured neutrals (with just a hit of gold) are equally as wonderful, from Style Me Pretty.

 

Simple, but lovely, rosemary wreaths from Spoon Fork Bacon. Easy to whip up for even the most time challenged.

Now, off to plan the rest of my (imaginary) Thanksgiving...